


Breaking the Silence

by eviestevie



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Spicecream is my latest obsession, Started from my post on tumblr: idkwhatimdoingsometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-28
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:47:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26701645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eviestevie/pseuds/eviestevie
Summary: After spending her whole life without using her voice, a small act from her current ally/enemy suddenly changes that.
Relationships: Cinder Fall/Neopolitan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 46





	Breaking the Silence

Salem has arrived upon the poor kingdom of Atlas. A swarm of Grimm preparing to rain hellfire while the Witch flew above it all on a giant flying whale.

Gods and Neo thought Cinder was dramatic.

Speaking of her... partner? After giving her the lamp (without a thank you of any kind) they took off towards the frozen tundra and met up with her two chaotic children, Emerald and Mercury. They stood by an abandoned building, a small air strip for supply ships peaking through the snow, indicating this was once an air field. Perhaps for transporting supplies between the dust mines.

“What do we do now?” Emerald questioned Cinder as they walked towards each other, Neo and Mercury sharing a look as the two pairs stood in front of each other.   
“We have our orders, once the Grimm destroy the cities defences, they’ll be helpless. For now we’re heading towards the mountains,” Cinder pointed towards the peaks in the distance.  
“Arthur and that psychotic scorpion are going to pick us up in a ship and bringing us up there.” She turned towards Salem’s personal vehicle in the sky, looming, waiting.

“So we’re getting out of the snow?” Mercury asked.

“Yes Mercury, don’t worry. While Atlas crumbles, we’ll be above it all,” Cinder grinned at the idea. All those pathetic elites would finally get a taste of falling to the dirt.

“Oh thank the gods!” Mercury cheered, “I’d rather not freeze off the rest of my limbs in this wasteland.”

“Shut up,” Emerald growled, clearly not happy about the weather either but somehow more annoyed by her partners complaints and inability to speak politely towards Cinder.

Neo had no comments. Of course she didn’t, she was mute. Even if she did have something to say, no one but herself would know. 

Although she didn’t speak, Neo was still quiet. Her body language and usual cocky attitude was gone. During their escape from Mantle, she lost her hat as a Grimm came charging past. Cinder was in such a rush to leave that Neo didn’t even get a chance to turn around to see where it went, she just pushed her forwards and they kept going.

Cinder couldn’t understand. She would never understand how much that hat meant. The one thing she had left of Roman, her partner in crime, her best friend.

Her only friend.

They began to head towards the mountain for their rendezvous point when Neo noticed that Cinder was at the back of the pack, with Emerald and Mercury bickering in front of her. That was... odd. Cinder was not the type to let others step in front of her. Ever.

Before she got the chance to question it, she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and the woman on her mind stood before her. A strangely neutral expression on her face. What? Was she going to say something? Was she going to get yelled at for slowing them down on their way out? A threat? What was it? Neo couldn’t read the the look on Cinder’s face.

She was about to give Cinder a questioning look to ask “what’s up with you?” But Cinder moves before she could emote. Revealing her left Grimm arm from under her cloak. In her hand was something that made Neo freeze, as if her aura had disappeared and the temperatures of the tundra had frozen her solid instantly.

She had her hat.

“Here,” Cinder mumbled so the others in front didn’t hear, “You almost lost this. It was Roman’s right?”

She gave it back and continued walking. Neo held the hat in front of her, dropping Hush in the snow.

She got it back for her. Something precious to Neo, she understood it was Roman’s and knew it was important to Neo. 

Cinder did something nice.

Cinder fucking Fall just did something nice for Neo.

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Her whole life, Neo never expected kindness from anyone. She wasn’t normal enough for something like that.

No one, not even her own family, ever allowed her to speak. She was an anomaly; strange hair, strange eyes, strange semblance. 

Her father would beat her before she got the chance to even open her mouth, kick her out and Neo would say nothing. 

Her mother starved her, not even giving her table scraps or a place at the table, she had to steal to eat and in most cases she wasn’t very successful, still Neo said nothing. 

Her siblings would bully her, made her life miserable, and for what reason? They were family weren’t they? So why did they do this?  
“If she’s got a problem, she’ll say something!” They sneered.

By the time she met Roman, she only saw speaking as a request for pain. Roman understood and respected that. He didn’t mind, he would do all the talking for them easily. They both got used to it, learned to talk in other ways. They were always there for each other.

“Let me tell you something Neo,” Roman spoke, handing her an ice pack for her bruised temple, holding a rag of his own for his bloody nose, both of them were beaten and panting from a tough fight they barely scraped away from on their own two feet.

“People like you and me? We gotta stick together, you know why? Cause there ain’t a single person in this world that’s ever gonna show kindness to us. The rest of the world just carries on walking over us as we drag our bare feet through the mud.” He sat next to Neo, sighing and taking off his hat.

“Seriously, the idea that some one will look out for us is ridiculous! It almost makes you wanna laugh!”

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

A sound.

Cinder stops and turns around. She sees Neo standing there, clutching the hat with both hands and her face looking down towards it. Her shoulders shaking.

What happened? Is she crying? Is she cold? Hurt? Neo’s body language was completely unreadable.

Another sound.

She shakes more. Cinder is almost tempted to call out to her, ask what’s wrong. But what happens next leaves her speechless.

Neo lifts her head back up and she’s laughing.

She’s laughing, grinning ear to ear. Loud, genuine, uncontrollable laughter.

Emerald and Mercury hear it and turn around, their faces in as equal shock as Cinder. Neo was laughing.

Cinder had lost all the breath from her lungs. In the blink of an eye, her whole view on Neo changed instantly. As the setting sun shone upon her face, mirth entering her eyes, she’s doubling over in laughter. Then she’s suddenly raising her head to the sky, covering her eyes with one hand while the other still tightly held the hat.

Tears.

There’s tears falling down Neo’s face.

But she’s still laughing.

Finally, her laughter begins to quiet down and her head lowers back down as she removes her hand from her face.

She looks Cinder directly in the eyes, tears continuing to stream down her face.

She smiles.

Without saying anything else, Cinder could immediately understand what Neo wanted to say.

“Thank you.”

**Author's Note:**

> I headcanon Neo of being able to speak but due to some sort of trauma she doesn’t want to.  
> This is my first fanfic EVER so please be nice.


End file.
